Wednesday, January 2, 2019

It’s time for another group posting of the Insecure Writer’s Support Group!Time to release our fears to the world – or offer encouragement to those who are feeling neurotic. If you’d like to join us, click on the tab above and sign up. We post the first Wednesday of every month. I encourage everyone to visit at least a dozen new blogs and leave a comment. Your words might be the encouragement someone needs.

Today’s question - What are your favorite and least favorite questions people ask you about your writing?

The #IWSGPitTwitter pitch is once a year now – and the next one is on January 15!.
Hundreds of agents and publishers will be checking the hashtag that day.
For rules and list of genre hashtags, visit the #IWSGPit page.
The IWSG Admins will be monitoring the feed.
Get those Twitter pitches ready – you have two weeks!

IWSG Anthology Contest Winners

Here are the stories and authors that have been selected for our fourth anthology:

The top story has the honors of being included in the title. LG Keltner’s story came out on top! The official title of our next anthology – Masquerade: Oddly Suited. Congratulations, LG. (She was also in the top spot for our first anthology, Parallels: Felix Was Here.)

The IWSG Admins spent many hours reading the entries and fourteen were sent to our special judges. We certainly wish to thank them for taking time away from their own work to read the entries:

This is the Aquaman movie the ten-year-old me always wanted to see!
Taking place after Justice League, it serves as an origins story.
The director went for it and the result is an incredibly fun film. It delves further into the mythos than I thought it would. It’s a little corny at times, but not in a bad way. Some of it, especially the dialogue, is intended and it works.
The special effects – again, wow! The creatures, the underwater world – just breathtaking.
Jason Momoa is perfect as Aquaman. He brings swagger, humor, and strength to the role.
All of the characters are played well, with standouts from Nicole Kidman as his mother, Willem Dafoe as Vulko, and Dolph Lundgren as King Nereus. I really liked the relationship between Aquaman and Mera, played by Amber Heard.
It also introduced my favorite Aquaman villain, the Black Manta. He will be back!
Just a fun, incredibly entertaining film and a great direction for the DC universe.
Highly recommended!

Bumblebee Review

The past few Transformers movies have been awful, but a new director and a ninety-three percent on Rotten Tomatoes compelled me to go see it. And I’m glad I did!
Directed by Travis Knight (Kubo and the Two Strings), it’s heartfelt and very character driven. It’s a great movie that just happens to have some Transformers in it.
It takes place in the 80’s and is loaded with 80’s songs, but it also feels like it was made in the 80’s. The family elements have a very Steven Spielberg feel. Less is definitely more in this movie and the focus is on the wonder and the mayhem.
If you’ve been burned by the Michael Bay movies, rest assured – this one is nothing like any of those films. It has heart, characters with depth, and a compelling and moving story.
Highly recommended.

January Movie Preview

Here are the upcoming theatrical releases for January! As always, descriptions courtesy of the IMDB. Snark provided by me.

11 -

Replicas
A scientist becomes obsessed with bringing back his family members who died in a traffic accident.
Director: Jeffrey Nachmanoff
Stars: Keanu Reeves, Alice Eve, Thomas Middleditch, Emily Alyn Lind Reminds me of a hundred other science fiction films I’ve already seen…

18 -

Glass
Security guard David Dunn uses his supernatural abilities to track Kevin Wendell Crumb, a disturbed man who has twenty-four personalities.
Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Stars: Bruce Willis, Luke Kirby, Anya Taylor-Joy, James McAvoy, Samuel L. Jackson Still not sure of Shyamalan is back although I’m not hoping he will fail…again.

And since there are so few releases in January, let me end with the trailer for the Hellboy reboot:

Are you ready for #IWSGPit? What genre should we tackle next for the IWSG Anthology Contest? (We’ve had science fiction, fantasy, mystery/crime/thriller, and young adult.) Excited about Masquerade: Oddly Suited? Did you catch Aquaman or Bumblebee? What’s the next film on your radar?

congrats to anthology selection winners - excellent way to start 2019. Ray and I saw Aquaman - my review will be Friday. Big thumbs up. We agree as we kick into 2019. Hope it's off to a good start for you.

Congrats to all the winners of the Anthology! The upcoming movies look appealing, but I'm sticking to writing more this year. I hope some of our members find agents with the upcoming twitter pitch contest.

I saw Aquaman and loved the movie. Stunning visuals and a story packed with mythology, fantasy and romanticism and a touch of humor. It captured my attention and held it throughout the movie. The few quirky parts were easily forgiven. Did I say I loved this movie?

I'm thrilled to be part of your anthology's making! And major WOOT! goes out to LG and all the authors that were chosen. It was super, super hard. You all are so talented! The Twitter pitch is so exciting! Good luck to everyone! Alas, I have nothing to pitch; I mean, I just finished another MG manuscript, but that's promised to my current pub and editor. I've been thinking of writing something out of my normal spooky realm. Not sure if I can, though. haha!

Happy new year to you, good buddy! Every film you reviewed this week interests me. When it works, corny dialogue amuses me, and I am down with seeing the special FX depicting an underwater world in Aquaman. Films and TV series set in the 80s, with 80s music in the soundtrack and Steven Spielberg touches are always on my list of must see. I am a fan of Emily Alyn Lind and of her mother Barbara Alyn Woods, and therefore I would like to catch Replicas. I can't wait to see a man with not one, but 24 personalities in Glass, and Hellboy looks hellishly good, too.

I like your comment about Replicas reminding you of a hundred other science fiction movies you've seen. That's the way I've been feeling about a lot of movies lately. Often I've asked my wife as we start getting into a movie: "Have we seen this before?"

Oh, by the way, the film that has caught my attention of late is that bio-pic about Laurel and Hardy. The make-up artists did an amazing job of making the new actors look like the original classic comics.

Have yet to see Aquaman or Bumblebee. Can't wait to see the former. And was hesitant to watch the latter but just might try it after reading your review. Definitely looking forward to Avengers Endgame. And after seeing the poster for the third season of Stranger Things, I wish it was 4th of July already.

And they're rebooting Hellboy?! What's with all the reboots? Charmed? Roswell?

Congratulations to the anthology winners! What a great group. And I'm making it a goal to have a story ready to pitch by next year's Twitter party. Hope this year's event is a huge success. Happy New Year, Alex!

Congrats to all the anthology folks! Behind the Catcher's Mask sounds like a story I want to read right now! Would an anthology that is open for genre but all centered around one theme work? Or a wider spec fic genre?

I nearly once bought a yellow Camaro because of Bumblebee. Must see movie. Congratulations to the anthology winners. Hat's off to the judges. Anyone who's worked behind the scenes on a writing contest knows it's labor-intensive work. And good luck to all those who are pitching this month. Happy New Year to you, Alex!

Happy New Year, Alex. Here's to another great year with the IWSG.I can't wait to read the new anthology in the spring. It's a great theme. Congrats to all the winners.I really enjoyed the Aquaman movie. Missed Bumblebee in the theater where I live. I liked Unbreakable but missed Split. Still, Glass sounds interesting.

Aquaman and Bumblebee are both movies I never thought I'd want to see, yet here we are. I am especially pleased that for Bumblebee they actually hired a director experienced in animation (particularly stop-motion animation) who understands how to tell a story and create emotion with inanimate objects. Instead of the previous Transformers movies who only cared about, you know, tits and explosions.

Congrats to all of the anthology winners and a huge thanks to all of the judges!!! Good to hear reviews of both Aquaman and Bumblebee!I've actually been urged to watch a "choose your own ending" film/episode on Netflix - called Bandersnatch - by my teen-adult daughters. I used to watch so many kid/family based films my daughters taste surprise me sometimes. What happened to Tangled? Now, they want to watch Mrs. Maisel, Stranger Things, and Bandersnatch.

I've not yet had the opportunity to see Aquaman, though it's practically a resolution. My daughter has seen it twice. Probably because she can't yet own it ;-)Congratulations to all Anthology contest winners! Tantalizing titles too.It will be interesting to hear how Replicas holds up against Pet Sematary in the, ah, skin-crawling category.Have a wonderful beginning!

My hubby loved Aquaman. I'm so excited for Glass. I can't wait to see what they do with Willis' character and of course, I've watched Split three times already because I just love how he can transform seamlessly from one character to the next. Yes!!

Congrats to tall the ISWG anthology winners. As for your question - as a travel writer, my least favourite question people ask all the time, wow, how did you get so lucky to be able to travel and play all the time? People don't realize just how hard I work, or how many hours a day it takes.

Congrats to all the winners! Happy new year and hope you had a wonderful Christmas and a New Year's eve. What about horror/fantasy..mix the 2 up..sort of like Tinker Bell meets Dracula, fall in love and have a kid...Tinkula. I am surprised for all the love of Bumblebee movie. There are so many films I do want to see and the one by M. Night sounds good but I am wary of him despite the good actors reprising their roles from his previous films. Who is the new Hellboy? This looks like a good movie to watch. I bet many writers hate it when they are asked if they are finished yet.

I honestly forgot that I had submitted a piece for consideration in the anthology. I'm not surprised that it didn't get chosen, it was rather dark, and I'm a bit of an acquired taste anyway. I may try again this year.

I love your reviews Alex. I can't wait to see Aquaman. I meant to see it opening weekend, but my plans got blown away by an unexpected visitor. So hopefully this weekend! Bumblebee reminded of the old cartoons, not the new crazy action packed, too action packed past releases. I loved every single minute and every single song :)

I want to make Bumblebee in the theater, but I'm not sure I'm going to make it.Unless I have to take my daughter, I'm waiting for dvd to Aquaman. Mostly, I've heard bad things about it and, if it can't even rise to the level of Wonder Woman, it's not worth a theater trip.

Hi, Alex! I'll be back to read your post later ~ just giving you an update on my progress which is slow. I take way to long writing comments. So far I've hit the last 23 members on the list. This time I decided to write a comment even if there wasn't an IWSG post for today. I wrote one on whatever their most recent post want. Duh! I finally realized that that might make them see that IWSG members respond regardless. Can I whine briefly and say I hate Wordpress and Google+. Sometimes it's so hard to figure out where to comment and make it work! One guy I finally just liked his post and one person I emailed after repeatedly having my comment kicked out as spam. But whining aside it's always fun to visit people. I probably should have emailed this, but what the hey? I hope you're having a good day. I'm going to break for a while and then I'll be back! Happy IWSG Day, my inspiring friend!

Congratulations to the anthology winners! I can't believe the twitter pitch party is already around the corner. Guess I'll have to wait for the next one (since I need more time). I'm determined to see Aquaman, but forces unknown have kept me away every time I drove toward the theater. Have a wonderful 2019!

I wanna see all those movies so bad but probably won't until they are released on digital. I love they are doing Hellboy again another fave of the past. Same actor playing him, Ron Pearlman. That is too cool! I have loved watching him since he played the beast with Linda Hamilton-1987. Yeah, that is telling my age.

First a big congratulations to all the winners of the newest IWSG anthology! And, respect and thank you to the judges! Fun, compelling, yet hard work I'm sure.

With that rave review of Aquaman, I might have to venture into new territory. Nicole Kidman should be a draw. Glass looks like a good cast as well. Thanks for the previews!

Yes, I'm (almost) ready for the IWSG Twitter Pitch Party. I'll be in exactly the same location as six months ago (the library in Newburyport, MA) for this event. hopefully, I'll have more traction (dare I call it luck?) this time.

As for a genre for the next anthology contest, how about creative non-fiction with an adventurous theme? :-)

Have a fantastic 2019 and thanks for being an awesome host as always, Alex!

Congrats to all the anthology winners! I'm excited to see you hosting another Twitter pitch, even if I'm going to ride the sidelines. I finished visiting my group of blogs. Thanks for the chance to co-host, Alex!

Looking forward to the new anthology. Aquaman received mixed reviews. Will have to check it out for myself. I enjoyed this month's optional writing prompt. Cathartic. Posting at the beginning of the month propels me through the next 25 to 30 days. Happy New Year!

It seems like Shayamalan's Unbreakable series are his best movies so far, so I hope Glass does well. I do want to see Bumblebee also. Escape Room comes out tomorrow, though, so I may be at the theater for that! :D

Thanks so much for stopping by me new blog. I've decided that moving forward I will make all my posts and comments as Carnie the Bookworm. It'll help keep me from mixing up my posts and replies. Thanks, as always, for this wonderful opportunity and support system you've created for bloggers.

My least favorite question is: Who Were the Authors Who Influenced You as a Writer?

The reason that question vexes me is because my influences come from such diverse influences over time and because most of the ask-ers (contemporary kids) won't recognize the names even if I list them.

Congratulations to all the anthology winners! Thanks for the movie reviews. Glad you loved Aquaman. I saw Jason Mamoa on SNL and I agree that he has a great sense of humor and is very likable. He’s certainly shaping up to be the next Rock. Happy New Year, Alex!

Aquaman and Bumblebee are both on my movie To-Watch list. I did get to take the kids to Into the Spider-Verse over the holiday. It was surprisingly scary at a few moments, and my little 5yo had to snuggle closer. But it was fun!

I saw Aquaman this weekend and loved it. The only problem (and the word "problem" is wayyyyyyyy exaggerated) with it...SPOILER for those who haven't seen it.Why was Stephen Curry declared to be the rightful king of Atlantis?If "Game of Thrones" has taught us anything, is that the son of the king is the rightful heir and not a half-breed bastard of the Queen (he WAS the eldest, but...). Hey, don't me wrong. Orm was a douchebag and Aquaman is a good choice. Still....But, we nerds have our line of succession/primogeniture rules down, ya know.

WOW! So much to catch up on! And hey, you didn't answer this month's question. I'd like to know your answers to that one.

I've heard only good things about Aquaman. And I'm still trying to check off my list of all the other movies people have told me to see (big surprise there), so I probably won't get around to Bumblebee, but it's good to know the Transformers movies have had some redemption to their awfulness.

Duh.....it's ARTHUR Curry, not Stephen. I knew that. Geez a lou...wtf. I realized this last night as I was cleaning a toilet (the two are unrelated). Please forgive. I'm getting old and sometimes absent-minded. Speaking of...how long should I leave my pants in the microwave?

Congratulations to the anthology winners! I'm looking forward to the next contest, I may decide enter again (it's been a couple years).

I'm behind on my DC movies, but I'm planning on watching Aquaman eventually. Thanks for the Bumblebee review. I didn't know it was a different director, so I wasn't even considering watching it until now. Glass looks intriguing, but you never really know what you're in for with M. Night Shyamalan.

Congrats to the anthology winners! The titles of their stories leave me so intrigued.

And glad to hear Aquaman and Bumblebee were such fun films for you! I remember how much people would complain about past Transformer movies, so that's great how your expectations were exceeded for this one, with the new director.

Congrats to all the anthology winners! :) Love that title. My fingers are crossed that Glass will be better. Does Hellboy save a box of kittens in that movie? Nothing will be better than Hellboy saving those kittens!

I do not like when people ask me how many books I have sold or how much money I make as an author. I do get both questions a lot. I wouldn't actually mind the questions as much from other authors- but I usually get the questions from friends and or family who seem to think authors make a lot more money and sell more books. :)

About Me

I'm a sci-fi writer on a journey of discovery - books, movies, music, etc.
Founder of the Insecure Writer's Support Group, I'm the author of Amazon Best Sellers CassaStar, CassaFire, CassaStorm, & Dragon of the Stars

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